Knowing Maureen
by ohhowmarvelous
Summary: Maureen’s daughter Haley ran away from home and went to New York City. When Maureen comes to get her, Haley and her new friend Sophia try to set Maureen and Mark up. MUCH better than it sounds. I don't own RENT!
1. New Life in NYC

**Knowing Maureen**

My first story, so be nice!

**Chapter One: New Life in NYC**

July 22nd, 3:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time.

Haley had to leave home. The fights with her mom had been getting worse and worse, and this was the last straw. She couldn't take it anymore. To top it all off, her parents had just gotten a divorce and her mom was never home because of work. So, even though she was only 13 and had only a backpack, she left home.

Haley stepped off the train and into Grand Central Station. She didn't know where she was going, or how she would get there. All she knew was that she was going to follow her dreams in this big city. Isn't that what almost everyone moves to New York City for?

Haley walked into the main part of Grand Central, and was in awe of the gigantic ceiling covered in constellations. Now it was time for her to get down to business. Where would she go? She sometimes heard her mother talk about her old friends from New York, but she didn't talk about them enough for Haley to remember who they were exactly. Her mother seemed to hate talking about the "old days". Probably because those "friends" were not up to her standards. Maureen Johnson was the most conceited person Haley knew.

The only thing Haley remembered about where her mother's so-called friends lived was that it was somewhere in the Lower East Side of Manhattan; also known as The East Village. So she went outside one of the many exits, and walked onto the sidewalks of New York City. This was Haley's first time in NYC. Everything seemed faster and more important than in her hometown.

She called "Taxi!" and stuck her hand out, and after a while, a taxi stopped in front of her and she climbed in. "Where to?" asked the driver. "The Lower East Side, sir," said Haley. "Are you sure you wanna go there, kid? It's not exactly the safest place in New York, ya know," said the driver, who spoke with a Brooklyn accent. "I'm sure," said Haley. "I know people there and I'm staying with them over the weekend." "Okay, then," said the driver. Haley had felt a little guilty about lying to the man, but it wasn't THAT big of a lie. Was it?

The driver let her off on Avenue B, and Haley paid him. "Make it home safe, kid," said the driver. "I will," said Haley. Her new life in NYC was just beginning.


	2. A Place To Stay

I'm kind of new at this, and after I posted chapter one, I realized I forgot my disclaimer and a bunch of other things! I don't know how to go back to edit the chapter, so I'm just gonna post the disclaimer in every chapter from now on!

And after this chapter, the chapters are getting longer!

Disclaimer- I do not own Rent, but I own my OC's.

AU: Angel's alive!

Pairings: Mark/Maureen, Angel/Collins, Mimi/Roger

Special thanks to my friend EmeraldxCITYx3 for reading and reviewing my stories before I even post them!

**Chapter Two: A Place to Stay**

Haley figured that she would stay in some kind person's home or a hotel that night. Although looking at the people on this street, none of them seemed like people that would let her stay in their homes, IF they had homes. She could see junkies buying drugs, and homeless people sleeping in alleyways. _This place is getting creepy_, she thought to herself.

Haley kept walking, and it was starting to get dark. She was afraid of what might happen to her if she was out too late. She walked by a place with bright multicolored lights called The Cat-Scratch Club_. It looks like a strip club, they can't help you there_, she thought. She started to feel very stupid about leaving home.

All of a sudden, a voice said "Hey, cutie-pie, what's a little girl like you doin' out so late?" "For your information, I'm NOT little, I'm 15, and the reason I'm out here is because I'm homeless," Haley said. _I really have to get rid of this lying problem_, she thought. The "voice" moved out of the shadows and turned into a strange, creepy looking man. "You don't look like you're homeless," said the man. "You look like you could afford to buy some happiness, baby." Haley knew now that this man was a drug dealer, and by "happiness" he meant smack. "No thank you, I'm not ruining my life by sniffing some stupid powder." Haley started to walk away and said "Dickface," under her breath. "What did you just call me, bitch!" yelled The Man. "OH SHIT!" yelled Haley when she realized that The Man had heard her. " 'Oh shit!' is right, little lady!" said The Man. "You'll be sorry after I'm done with you!" The Man chased Haley for a couple of blocks before Haley ran into an alleyway, hoping to lose him. But it did no good.

The Man slammed Haley against the side of a building and started beating her up. "SOMEBODY HELP!" screamed Haley over and over again. "That'll do ya no good," said The Man. "No one can help you now!" "Are you gonna rape me!" said Haley. The Man laughed. "Honey, I ain't gonna rape ya. I'm just gonna KILL YA!" Haley screamed for help even louder, but The Man just kept beating her harder and harder. She tried to fight back, but he was too strong. He pushed her onto the sidewalk, and he pulled out a knife and was about to slash Haley's throat when he heard voices. "This won't be the last you'll see of me, kid. You be sure of it!" said The Man, and with that, he bolted.

"I heard the screaming from over here!" said a voice. "Down this alleyway!" There was another voice. "Are you sure, honey? It's not safe to be out on the street this late at night." Haley could hear them coming closer. "Oh my God, Soph, we HAVE to get this girl to a hospital!" yelled the second voice. Haley blacked out.

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	3. Meet The Voices

So this is the first long chapter. Enjoy! Sorry about the shorter chapters, they look like they're longer on my computer.

Disclaimer: I don't own RENT, Jonathan does. But I own my OC's.

There's some swearing in the chapter!

**Chapter Three: Meet the Voices**

When Haley came to, she was in a hospital bed. She remembered what had happened. _Who brought me here?_, she thought. Haley remembered her backpack, and she turned her head and saw that the backpack was right next to her. Thankfully, The Man hadn't seen her backpack in the dark. "She's awake!" said the first voice. _Well_, _I guess it's time to meet the voices!_, Haley thought. "Oh, good," said the second voice. The voices came closer to the bed.

The first voice looked like a girl about her age, give or take a year or two. She had mid-length brunette hair and she was wearing an awesome outfit, or at least that was what Haley thought. The second voice was a little taller, and had black, chin-length hair and was wearing a colorful outfit, which Haley also thought was awesome. The strange thing was, Haley couldn't figure out if this person was a woman or a man. The person was either a woman, or a REALLY good drag queen.

"Are you okay, honey?" asked the second voice.

"I guess so," said Haley. "I'm kind of sore."

"What happened to you?" asked the first voice.

"Some guy beat me and tried to slit my throat. He ran off when he heard you coming. He said that he'd be back, though. Some damned good welcome to New York City."

"Oh, it's your first day? Welcome to our WONDERFUL city," said the first voice sarcastically. Just then, a tall black man walked into the room. He was wearing a plaid shirt, jeans, and a beanie hat. _In the summer?_, Haley thought.

"I came as soon as I could," said the man. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here, honey," said the second voice, and they kissed. "This girl was almost killed!" "Thanks for saving my life," said Haley. "No problem, honey!" said the second voice. "Oh, I almost forgot! I'm Angel, this is Tom Collins, and that's our daughter, Sophia." Haley recognized the names almost instantly. "I'm Haley," she said, "and I know this is kind of weird to ask, but have you ever met a woman named Maureen Johnson?"

Angel and Collins both had a look of surprise on their faces. How did this girl know Maureen? "Maureen? Of course we know Maureen!" said Collins, laughing. "We haven't seen that girl in about 15 years!" "How do you know Maureen?" asked Angel. "Oh, is she that friend you used to have that did protests all the time?" asked Sophia. "Yeah, Soph," said Collins. "But Haley, how do you know Mo?"

"Mo?" asked Haley. "That was her nickname," said Angel. Haley started laughing hysterically, but then stopped after she realized how much it hurt. "That sounds NOTHING like the Maureen Johnson I know. The Maureen I know is my mother, and you DO NOT want to know what a stuck-up bitch she is." Collins was the one laughing now. "You got the stuck-up bitch part right!" "Tom, she wasn't like that ALL the time. That was only, um, sometimes," said Angel, and then she fully realized what Haley had said. "Wait a minute, Mo's your mom?"

Haley sighed. "Yeah. She told me that she cheated on her boyfriend, got pregnant with me, and then left the city. She went back to school, and now she's the president of some company. I don't know which one, she's never home. That's one of the reasons why I left. And if anyone ever called her Mo back home, she would probably fire them."

"You ran away from home, chica?" asked Angel. "Maureen, the president of a company? Holy shit!" said Collins, who was laughing just about as hard as Haley was a minute ago. "Collins, stop!" said Angel. "I'm sorry, honey, but we have to call your mom. She's probably worried sick!"

"No! Don't call her!" said Haley. "Uh, I mean, she's probably not home yet. She's coming back from a business trip tonight, and she'll be home late." "Haley, it's 1 AM, and if your mom isn't home by now, she'll be home soon. We'll leave a message on her machine," said Collins. Haley sighed. "Well, okay, I guess."

Just then, a doctor walked into the room. "Is she gonna be okay, Doctor Green?" asked Collins. "I think she'll be fine. She only has some minor injuries, nothing that serious. She can leave the hospital tonight. You can check out in the lobby," said the doctor and walked out of the room. "Um, if it's all right by you, can I stay at your place tonight?" asked Haley. "I didn't really think that far ahead when I was planning this." "Sure, honey," said Angel. "You can sleep in Sophia's room"

As they were leaving the hospital, Sophia said to Haley "That must suck having a mom who's never around." "Yeah, it kind of does," said Haley with a laugh. "Did you know that your mom was a lesbian? She wasn't cheating on her "boyfriend" when she got pregnant with you, she was cheating on her girlfriend, Joanne Jefferson." said Sophia. Haley started laughing hysterically. "How many more of my mom's shocking secrets are there?" "Way too many to tell you in one night," said Sophia.

"Um, Sophia?" asked Haley.

"Yeah?"

"I know this is kind of rude to ask, but is Angel a drag queen? I wasn't sure if she was a woman or not so, um…"

Sophia laughed. "Yeah, she is. I'm adopted. Angel would be flattered if I told her you thought she was a woman, but I don't think you really want me to tell her that, do you?"

"It'd be great if you didn't!" said Haley.

An hour later, Maureen Johnson unlocked the door to her home and walked in. "Haley! I'm home!" she called, but then realized that it was 3:30 AM and that her daughter was probably asleep. She put her bags on the floor, and walked over to the answering machine. There was one message.

"Hi Maureen, it's Angel." Maureen gasped when she heard the name of one of her old friends. "I know I haven't talked to you in a long time, but your daughter turned up near our apartment tonight in an alley. Some guy tried to kill her." "Oh my god!" said Maureen. Now she was freaked out. "We brought her to the hospital, and they just released her. Other than some cuts and bruises, she's fine. If you can make it to New York tomorrow to pick her up that would be great. Bye."

"Too late, Angel, I'm coming now!" said Maureen.


	4. The Plan

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy lately.

Disclaimer: I don't own RENT, or The Parent Trap, OR Lindsey Lohan. (don't steal my OC's 'cause I own 'em!)

**Chapter Four: The Plan**

When Haley woke up, she didn't know where she was at first. After a few moments, she realized that she was in Angel, Collins and Sophia's East Village apartment. She looked over toward the other side of the room and gasped. Sophia was in her bed staring at her.

"I thought you'd never get up!" said Sophia.

"What time is it?" asked Haley.

"9 AM. We're supposed to meet everyone at The Life Café at 10."

"Who's everyone?" asked Haley. "Roger, Mimi, Kimberly, Jonathan, and Mark," said Sophia. "Roger and Mimi are my parents' friends. Jonathan and Kim are their kids. Kimmy's 8 and she can be kind of annoying, but most of the time she's cool. If you ever call her by her full name, she gets pissed so call her either Kim or Kimmy. Jonathan is 14. He plays guitar and, don't tell anyone I said this, but he's really cute. The only reason I don't go for him is 'cause I think of him like a brother, and dating him would just feel really weird. You'll like him, though."

"What about Mark?" asked Haley. "Mark's a filmmaker. He works for that show Buzzline. He hates his job, but for the past 15 years he's been working there, and he still hasn't quit."

"Is he married?" asked Haley. "He's kind of a loner," said Sophia. "Ever since your mom dumped him in '89, he's been single. "Wow," said Haley. "That's a long time to be single. Maureen went with him?"

"Yeah. I think he still loves her though," said Sophia. "Even after all these years! He's had a couple girlfriends, but none of them were, as cliché as this sounds, 'The One'."

"Well, I think Mark may be in luck. My mom and step-dad split up a couple months ago, so she's single now," said Haley. "Hey, you know what we should do?"

"What?" asked Sophia.

"We should get my mom and Mark back together!"

"That'd be awesome! It'd be just like that movie The Parent Trap!"

"Except Mark doesn't have any kids, we're not sisters, and we weren't separated at birth."

"Well, it's almost like it!"

"AND Mark isn't engaged to an evil bitch."

"OKAY! I GET IT! IT'S NOT THAT MUCH LIKE THE PARENT TRAP!"

"Yeah. I don't like Lindsey Lohan anyway."

Haley realized something. "Hey, wait a minute, didn't you say something last night about a woman named Joanne?"

"I don't really know her, I've just heard about her," said Sophia. "My parents told me that after Maureen got pregnant, Joanne dumped her. Apparently, Mo cheated on her a lot and she was fed up with it. She's been living in the Upper West Side ever since. I remember that I met her like one time when I was really little, but that was it."

"I always thought my mom was cheating!" said Haley. "Before she got promoted, her job ended around 6:00. But for a couple of weeks, she'd come home around 10 PM, or even midnight! She kept saying that she was working late because she was expecting a promotion. Turns out she was doing a different type of work. With her boss. She did get promoted, but my step-dad found out about the cheating and dumped her."

"And people think MY family's messed-up!" said Sophia. "But that's mostly just homophobes."

Haley and Sophia were laughing and talking like old friends. They got ready to leave, and soon they were on their way to The Life Café.

When they arrived at The Life Café, everyone else was there. Turns out this was a weekly ritual. Haley saw Jonathan, and she whispered to Sophia "You're right! He IS hot!" Jonathan had a great figure that was not too scrawny and not too muscular. He had dark, curly hair and was wearing a band T-shirt, a pair of jeans and Converse High-Tops.

"Hi Soph!" said Kim, and she ran over to them. "Who's this?"

"This is Haley," said Sophia. She whispered something in Kim's ear, and she gasped. "Really! Is Maureen your mom?" asked Kim.

"Yup!" said Haley.

"But don't tell anyone yet!" said Sophia. "Pinkie swear?"

"Pinkie swear!" said Kim. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"

They all sat down at the table. This was so normal to everyone; they didn't even notice Haley until Mimi said "Angel, who's this?"

"This is Haley," said Angel. "Some guy almost killed her last night! We brought her to a hospital, and she, surprisingly, wasn't that badly hurt. She ran away from home and she's staying with us."

"AND she's Maureen's daughter!" said Collins.

Everyone gasped.

Angel looked annoyed. "Tom, I wanted to say it!" she said and pouted.

Mark's face turned bright red, Mimi looked surprised, and Roger looked confused. Jonathan looked at Haley in awe (which Haley loved) and Kim was pissed off.

"Hey! You said it was a secret and not to tell anyone! You made me pinkie swear I wouldn't tell, and then you go and tell everyone? That's not fair!" said Kim.

"You're Maureen's daughter!" said Mimi.

"Yeah," said Haley.

"I'm Mimi," said Mimi, "and this is my husband, Roger, our son Jonathan and our daughter Kimberly (Kim clenched her fist), and our friend Mark. I see you've already met Angel, Collins, and Sophy,"

"Nice to meet you," said Haley.

"HALEY APRIL JOHNSON! WHAT the HELL are you doing ALONE in NEW YORK CITY!"

Everyone turned toward the door.

"Maureen?" said everyone at the table.

"Mom?" said Haley nervously. She was really in for it this time.

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	5. Still Maureen After All These Years

I figured since I haven't updated in a while, I'd post another chapter! I want to get to the good part of the story anyway :P.

MAJOR MAJOR CAPS LOCK SWEARING! Just to warn you, lol.

**Chapter Five: Still Maureen After All These Years**

Haley hated the fights with her mom. And now this fight was going to be in public, in front of all the new friends she made. In front of Jonathan!

_This is just PERFECT. Simply perfect._, thought Haley.

"I was WORRIED SICK! What were you THINKING, leaving home like that!"

"I left because I was SICK OF ALL THE SHIT GOING ON!"

"WHAT SHIT! And DON'T say that word again! You KNOW it's impolite to swear! ESPECIALLY in PUBLIC!"

Mimi covered Kim's ears with her hands.

"OH, you know PERFECTLY WELL what's been going on! YOU WERE CHEATING ON DAD WITH YOUR BOSS!"

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"Oh, than what about the message on the answering machine FROM YOUR BOSS, saying 'CAN'T WAIT FOR TONIGHT, BABY! BRING THE HANDCUFFS!' "

"THAT MESSAGE NEVER HAPENNED! Ugh, this is ridiculous. Haley, GET IN THE CAR, NOW!"

"Thank you guys for letting me stay with you. It was nice meeting you," said Haley. She started to walk to the car, but then stopped to listen to her mother's conversation.

Maureen saw everyone at the table trying to hold in their laughter.

"What's so funny!" she asked.

"She's still Maureen after all these years!" said Roger.

Everyone started laughing.

"Ha ha, very funny Roger Davis!"

"Hi Maureen," said Mark, while blushing furiously.

"Oh, hi Mark! How's life?"

Haley was surprised. Maureen was getting along with these people! And she was talking to Mark! So far, hers and Sophia's plan was working! Now she just needed to find a way to stay longer. She walked in and sat back at the table, and Maureen didn't say anything. Haley got up from the table and walked toward the restroom. She motioned for Sophia to follow her.

"I'll be right back," said Sophia.

She walked over toward Haley and said "I can't believe your mom would yell at you in public like that!"

"Yeah well, that's Maureen! She embarrassed me in front of Jonathan though." said Haley. "Sophy, I think our plan is actually going to work! Look at the way they're looking at each other!" whispered Haley.

"You mean Mark and Maureen?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna try and find a way to stay longer."

"It looks like your mom's not that mad at you anymore, too!"

"What are you guys whispering about?"

Sophia and Haley turned and saw Kim looking at them expectantly. "Kimmy!" said Sophia in an annoyed whisper. "It's fine, Soph!" said Haley. "We're trying to get Mark and my mom back together."

"THAT'S SO COOL!" said Kim out loud. Everyone turned to look at them.

"What's so cool?" asked Mark. He seemed to have lost his shyness.

"Um, NOTHING!" said Sophia. "Kim, you have to be quieter!

"Okay!" Kim whispered. "That's so cool! Can I help you get Maureen and Mark back together?"

Sophia sighed. "It's okay by me, I guess. What about you, Haley?"

"Yeah, you can help! Right now we have to focus on a way for me and Maureen to stay longer."

Just then Maureen walked up to the group of whispering girls and said "Sorry to interrupt, but Haley, do you mind if we stay here in New York for a couple more days? I haven't seen my friends in ages!"

Haley, Sophia and Kim smiled hugely. "I would love to, mom!" said Haley.

It looked like they might have their plan cut out for them.

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	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Look, I am SO SO SO (cannot stress the "so" enough) SO sorry that I haven't updated since the summer.

After a while, my RENT obsession kind of...faded. And I had no time to write because of school. But I just remembered this fanfic I wrote when I listened to the soundtrack again, and I read all the reviews you guys made. THANK YOU for reviewing! I never thought people would ever actually like my stuff! Believe me, the other stuff I've written doesn't deserve to ever see the light of day...

So, since I had a couple chapters I hadn't posted yet, I'm going to try to post those over my vacation, and maybe even finish this fic once and for all!

And I have a major twist coming up that some of you have probably expected would happen!


	7. Mark's Movies

**Chapter Six: Mark's Movies**

After The Life, the gang decided that they would all walk over to the loft. Mark said he had a surprise for them, in honor of Maureen's return.

"Hales, did I ever tell you how I used to live in this part of New York?"

"Yeah, mom, that's why I CAME to this part of New York in the first place!"

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

Maureen, sensing that Haley was still angry with her, walked up to Mark and talked to him.

"So, did you find anyone yet, Marky?"

"Actually no. I'm not really interested in anyone right now." said Mark.

"What about you?"

"I was married."

"_Was_?"

"He divorced me, Mark."

"Were you really cheating on him with your boss?"

Maureen sighed. "Yes, Mark, I was. But that was only to get a promotion! I was trying to get us more money, and I figured Bill would never know."

"Who's Bill?"

"My ex-husband."

Mark laughed. 'You have a twisted mind, Mo."

"Always have, always will."

Meanwhile, Haley was trying to strike up a conversation with Jonathan.

"So, uh, Jonathan, what's it like to live in New York City?"

"It's okay, I guess." Jonathan gave Haley a gorgeous smile.

"I hear you play guitar."

"Yeah. My dad taught me how when I was little. Me and a couple other guys have a band."

"Yeah? What's the name?'

"Mute. My dad used to have a band called The Well Hungarians."

"Cool!"

"Hey, you know your mom used to be a performer?"

"No way."

"Yeah, way! Everyone in our neighborhood used to go over to The Space for her protests before she left. Mark's got 'em all on film. That's probably what he's gonna show us.'

Jonathan was right. When they got to the loft, everyone piled on a heavily duct-taped sofa. Sophia, Kim, Jonathan, and Haley sat on the floor.

"Mark, why do you have your projector set up?" asked Maureen.

"You'll see!" said Mark.

"Everyone, in honor of Maureen's return with her daughter, Haley, I thought it would be nice if we played some "Maureen moments" from the past."

"NO!" said Maureen.

"YES!" said Haley.

"Mark! That's way too embarrassing. Don't play it! Please, pookie!"

Mark smiled. "You haven't called my 'Pookie' for almost 15 years, Mo. And even now it's not gonna work!"

Maureen sighed. "Fine, whatever."

Mark started the projector, and on the screen appeared an extremely drunk Maureen Johnson. Mark said that this clip was from New Years 1989. Maureen grabbed Mark's camera and ran off with it down the streets of New York City. Haley could hear Mark shouting in the background "Give it back! This is NOT my Bar Mitzvah!" Everyone laughed, except Maureen who rolled her eyes and smirked.

The next clip was from one of Maureen's protests. Haley wasn't sure what it was about, but it was something about cows, Diet Coke, silverware and mooing. Everyone in the room mooed along with the clip. Maureen just smiled and said, "I can't believe how ridiculous that was. I'M not even sure what that protest was about!"

"Who's Benny?" asked Haley. The protest had something in it about a bulldog named Benny, and Haley had a feeling that Benny was an actual person because everyone in the clip booed during that part.

"He's our old landowner, AND our ex-roommate. He was an asshole for a while because he married a rich bitch named Allison Gray, but he actually turned out to be an okay guy," said Roger.

The next clip was of Maureen and a woman who was obviously Joanne, because Maureen was all over her. Maureen and Joanne smiled at the camera before continuing their make-out session. Maureen looked at Haley, expecting a reaction, but Haley said, "Yeah, you're bisexual. Sophia told me. I didn't believe her at first, though." Maureen looked at Sophia, and she just shrugged.

The last clip was one of Mark and Maureen. This was an older one, probably filmed when they were together. They were in the loft with Roger, Collins, Benny, and a red headed girl.

"Who's the red head?" asked Haley.

Roger winced. "That's my old girlfriend April. She killed herself after she found out we had AIDS."

Haley looked surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have brought that up. You have AIDS?"

"Roger and I have HIV, and Angel and Collins have AIDS," said Mimi. "You learn to live with it after a while though. We're not dying of disease, we're living with it!"

Maureen rested her head on Mark's shoulder, and Mark smiled and put his arm around Maureen.

The last clip had nothing to do with Maureen. It showed Roger (who looked extremely drunk) standing in the middle of the loft. "Truth or Dare?" asked Collins on the video. "Dare, Thomas!" said the drunk Roger. "I dare you to sing a Madonna song, and give a strip tease at the same time."

On the video, Roger began to sing: "I made it through the wilderness! Somehow I made it THROUGH-OOOH! LIKE A VIRGIN! TOUCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!"

When Roger started stripping, Mark stopped laughing long enough to turn off the projector. "You guys didn't need to see that!" said Mark.

Everyone was laughing, and some people had tears in their eyes.

Jonathan said "Whoa, dad! You were pretty drunk there,"

Kim said, "I never realized how weird you are, Daddy!"

Roger just buried his head in his hands.

"Aww, sweetie, don't cry!" said Mimi.

"I'm not crying, Meems, I'm laughing!" said Roger. "Mark, I told you to get rid of that!"

Mark smirked. "Sorry!"

Mark sat back down on the couch next to Maureen.

"I can't believe how much I missed you guys," said Maureen.

"I can't believe it's been 14 years!" said Angel.

"Yeah, Mark hasn't been the same since you left!" said Collins.

"Is that true?" Maureen asked Mark.

Mark blushed. "Uh, yeah, sorta."

"I missed you too Mark," said Maureen. "I missed you a lot."

This time Maureen blushed. There was no denying that Maureen and Mark still had feelings for each other.

_This is gonna be too easy_, thought Haley. _We just have to get them to go on a date!_

Haley looked at Sophia and she could have sworn that she was thinking the same exact thing.


	8. Sight Seeing

disclaimer- I don't own Rent, OR Godspell, or every other real thing in this fic.

Yay! I'm psyched to be updating this again.

**Chapter Seven: Sight Seeing**

That night, Maureen stayed over at Mark's apartment, much to the delight of Haley, Sophia, and now Kim who decided that she was in on the plan. Mark asked Haley if she wanted to stay over too, but Haley said that Angel said that she could stay another night. Here she was, lying again, but she thought that she should leave her mom and Mark alone that night. At Sophia's house that night, they watched the movie Godspell.

The next day, since Haley had never been to New York, the bohemians were going sightseeing.

"I never thought I'd say this, but Jesus is HOT!" said Haley.

Maureen turned around and gave Haley a look. "Did I miss something?'

"We watched Godspell last night."

"Oh yes, Jesus is VERY hot in that movie."

Thankfully for Haley, Sophia and Kim, Maureen and Mark walked ahead of them so they could talk about their plan to set Mark and Maureen up.

"There's definite chemistry there," said Sophia. "Would you like Mark as your dad?"

"Yeah, Mark's nice. Although I still miss my step-dad. We were really close. My mom's got custody of me, so we only get to see him maybe once every couple of weeks. And he refuses to see my mom, so she has to drop me off at his place, and when she's picking me up, she just honks the horn and I leave."

"That sucks," said Sophia.

"So how are we gonna get Maureen and Mark to go on a date?" asked Kim.

"I don't know," said Haley. "I don't think they really need our help."

"Maybe we can set something up. Like with the dinner on the boat in The Parent Trap," said Sophia.

"Oh, here we go with The Parent Trap again."

"No, seriously, it could work! We could get them tickets for some show. Wait, that's dumb, we can't afford it."

"I brought a lot of money with me when I ran away," said Haley. "About $300. I've been saving my money for a while!"

"Something I've never had the ability to do!" said Sophia. "You seriously brought all that money with you?" said Sophia.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that I wanna use it on this. What show do you think we should buy the tickets for?"

"How about Wicked?"

"Yeah! But I wanna go with them now!"

Sophia sighed. "Me too, but this is supposed to be a DATE!"

"It wouldn't be the same if we were there," said Kim. "We should sneak off to buy the tickets sometime today.

"Okay, but AFTER we go to the cool places! Mark said that Alexi wanted him to film something in the Statue of Liberty, and we should go with him and sneak off in the middle of it. He'll be so preoccupied with filming he won't notice we're gone!"

"I feel kind of bad though," said Haley.

"Well, you won't feel bad after we get your mom and Mark together!"

The first place they went was Times Square. Haley was in awe of all the lights, billboards and stores that were everywhere.

"This is SO cool!" said Haley.

"Yeah! And I know the address to the Gershwin Theater, where Wicked is."

"How do you know?" asked Kim.

"Way too much spare time!" said Sophia.

"What's the address?" asked Haley.

"222 West 51st Street!" said Sophia. "And look at that billboard!"

Sophia pointed to the billboard, which had the Wicked logo on it and a big arrow pointing to the right.

"That arrow points to where the theater is."

"Okay, so you know the way to the Gershwin Theater from the Statue of Liberty, right?"

Sophia looked a little confused. "Uh, sort of. We can probably take the ferry, and then take a taxi to the theater. I brought money for that. And after we buy the tickets, we can take the ferry back, so Mark will never know we're gone! We'll buy the tickets for tomorrow night!"

"Are you sure this is gonna work, guys?" asked Kim, who surprisingly had been quiet most of the day.

"I think so, Kimmy," said Sophia.

"But how will we tell them where we got the tickets?" asked Kim. "We can't give the tickets to them, because that would be letting them know we're trying to get them together!"

"We'll leave them in Mark's camera bag!" said Sophia. "He won't know where they came from, and decide that he shouldn't waste them and take Maureen!"

"I love setting people up!" said Haley.

"Who are you setting up?" asked Jonathan. The girls hadn't realized that he was walking that close to them.

"No one, Jon," said Sophia.

"Sophia, come on! Just tell him!" said Kim.

"Can you keep a secret?" asked Haley.

"Yeah."

"We're trying to set Mark and Maureen up."

"That's awesome!" said Jonathan. "Mark hasn't had a girlfriend in a couple of years."

"We're buying Wicked tickets for them tonight!" said Kim.

"It's a good thing Idina Menzel's still Elphaba in New York. I hear that she's really good!" said Sophia.

"The soundtrack's really good!" said Haley.

"It's hard to get tickets for Wicked, you know," said Jonathan.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "I've got connections.'

"Oh yeah?" said Jonathan. "Who do you know that's in Wicked?"

"I know Idina!" said Sophia.

This time Jonathan rolled his eyes. "You met her once. You freaked out. She gave you an autograph. You call THAT 'connections'?"

"You met Idina?" asked Haley. "You're so lucky!"

"I don't get why you guys love that Broadway stuff so much," said Jonathan.

"Hey, musicals rock!" said Haley.

"Whatever," said Jonathan and he walked away.

"Guys just don't understand," said Sophia. "Do you still like Jonathan?"

"As a friend, yeah," said Haley. "He's nice to look at, but I don't want to act all flirty around him if my mom's here. That'd be awkward."

Sophia smiled. "You DO like him!"

"No I don't!"

"Fine, Haley, but I KNOW when people have a secret, or in your case, a crush. It's like a sixth sense. My dad says I got it from Angel."

Some of the places Haley saw that day in New York were Rockefeller Center, Times Square, one of the many Broadway stores (Sophia's request), and of course, the Statue of Liberty, their last stop.

"Haley, you should go with Mark to the Statue of Liberty," said Maureen. "I'm going too. It's one of the biggest landmarks in New York City!"

"Sure, mom," said Haley. "Sophia and Kim told me they want to come too."

"That's fine," said Mark. "The more the merrier, right?'

"We'll be home if you need to call us, girls" said Angel.

"We'll be fine!" said Kim. " We're just going to the Statue of Liberty, we're not going anywhere else. We're staying with Maureen and Mark the whole entire time!"

"Okay, have fun!" said Mimi, but she looked a little suspicious.

"You guys be careful," said Collins.

"We'll be fine, dad!" said Sophia who was slightly annoyed now because if their parents kept being overprotective, they wouldn't have time to enter the raffle for the tickets!

"I'll go too," said Jonathan.

"Are you sure?" asked Roger. "You just went there on a field trip a few years ago."

"I'm sure," said Jonathan.

On the way to the ferry, Jonathan said, "I figured you might need some help getting the tickets."

"Why?" asked Sophia. "We'd be fine by ourselves."

"But I want to help you," said Jonathan. "This is a cool idea you guys have, and even though musicals annoy the hell out of me, I'll help you get the Wicked tickets!"

"Thanks, Jon," said Haley. "We really appreciate it!"

"No problem, Haley," said Jonathan.

_He said my name!_ thought Haley. She couldn't help it! Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had a crush on Jonathan, and him helping them out only added to how much she liked him.

so...**REVIEW!** Please excuse the whole Godspell thing...when I wrote this I had just watched it with my friends and we kinda thought Victor Garber was hot...


	9. The Ticket Mission

disclaimer- I own NOTHING.

**Chapter Eight: The Ticket Mission**

On the ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty, everyone was quiet. Mark was getting his camera ready. Finally, Maureen broke the silence by saying "You kids can go off on your own, if you want. Mark's just going to be filming one section of the Statue, so if you want to see the whole thing, just let us know before you leave, okay?"

"Okay, mom," said Haley. Now they had the perfect excuse for leaving!

At the Statue of Liberty, Haley, Sophia, Kim, and Jonathan looked around for a little bit. Sophia pulled Haley over and whispered "Now, do you think?"

"Now," said Haley.

Haley went over to her mom and said, "We're going to look in the other parts of the statue now."

"Okay, meet us here when you're done."

"Okay," said Haley.

Haley, Sophia, Kim and Jonathan left the statue, and Mark and Maureen didn't even notice. Outside, they got back in line for the ferry.

On the ferry, they discussed their plan again.

"When we get back to the city, we have to take a taxi to the Gershwin Theater. We probably won't win the lottery for the tickets, but maybe we can find a ticket scalper or something," said Sophia.

"I don't think this is gonna work, Sophy," said Kim. "Jon's right, it IS hard to get tickets for a popular show like Wicked!"

"Who knows, maybe Idina will recognize me and get us free tickets!" said Sophia.

"Or maybe you're crazy," said Jonathan.

"Shut up! It's a last resort."

When they got back to the city, Jonathan got them a taxi, and Haley was surprised when the taxi driver was the same man who had taken her to the East Village a few days ago.

"Take us to 222 West 51st Street!" said Sophia.

"Okay, but that's gonna cost you a lot," said the driver.

"We've got money," said Haley.

"Hey, kid, you look familiar. Weren't you the one that wanted to go to the Lower East Side or somethin'?"

"Yeah," said Haley.

"Glad to see you're with friends," said the driver.

When they got to the theater, Haley paid the driver and they got out.

"Okay, so now what?" asked Jonathan.

"We um… enter the lottery somewhere!" said Sophia.

"Where?" asked Haley. "Maybe we should ask someone."

They all went inside the theater and asked someone inside about the lottery.

"Excuse me," said Haley. "Where do we go to enter the ticket lottery?"

"Sorry, kids, but the lottery closed an hour ago! You should try again tomorrow."

Defeated, they walked out of the theater. "Well, that sucks," said Jonathan.

"Anyone have any ideas?"

"I have one!" said Haley.

At the Statue of Liberty

Mark was walking around the statue area, filming various things, giving narration when he thought it was needed. Maureen stood there, reading an informational pamphlet. Suddenly, Mark turned his camera on Maureen.

"And here is the famous Maureen Johnson who has returned, miraculously, to Alphabet City, where she hasn't been for fourteen years!"

"Marky, get that camera out of my face! I'm busy," said Maureen.

"Doing what?" asked Mark.

"Reading this pamphlet. It's very informative," said Maureen.

"The old Maureen wouldn't read some boring pamphlet. She would probably protest the pamphlet," said Mark.

"Well, pookie, the old Maureen is gone."

"Are you sure?" Suddenly, Mark's voice turned serious. "I think she's still there. She's still inside you, trying to get out, but you won't let her."

**REVIEW **because YOU KNOW you have nothing better to do...


	10. Haley's Plan

**Chapter Nine: Haley's Plan**

"So, where are we going?"

Haley, Sophia, Jonathan, and Kim were standing outside the Life Café, discussing Haley's plan.

"We're going inside the café. If I'm right, the only way to get Maureen and Mark back together is to make Maureen bohemian again. So we're not making reservations for some ritzy restaurant that Benjamin Coffin the third would go to… we're making reservations here, at the Life!"

"But that's not very romantic!" said Sophia.

"'Romantic' has nothing to do with it, Soph. Mark and Maureen will do the 'romantic', we just have to make the reservations. And besides, don't you guys come here all the time?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's settled. We know the food's good, mom's had a protest here before, and for all we know, Mark and my mom had their first date here!"

They walked into a restaurant and Haley walked up to the greeter.

"Welcome to the Life Café! How may I help you?" he asked.

"Please, sir," said Haley. "Can I make a reservation?"

"Sorry, we don't make reservations here," said the greeter.

"But please, sir," said Haley, obviously acting. "My parents' 10th anniversary is tonight and they haven't been out on a date in ages! I wanted to make it a surprise for them."

"We don't make reservations," repeated the greeter.

Haley sighed. This one was going to be tough. "My mom's dying of a terrible disease. This will probably be the last year she'll be alive, and-"

"Look, kid, I'll only let you make a reservation if you tell me the truth."

"Well, you see, we're trying to set my mom and this other guy up. They used to be in love, and this was always their favorite restaurant in their 'boho days'. You might know them. Mark Cohen and Maureen John-,"

"Maureen Johnson?" yelled the greeter. "In that case, absolutely not. Some important people are throwing a dinner party here tonight, and last time Maureen was here during a dinner party, she flashed the whole restaurant."

Haley sighed. "Look. Maureen's changed. She won't even admit that she's BEEN to the Life Café anymore. She's more Hilary Clinton than Anna Nicole Smith."

The greeter rolled his eyes. "Well, fine. But if your mother, OR Mark Cohen for that matter, starts acting obscenely, we will not allow you, them, or anyone in your strange group of friends to come here again."

"Fine. It's a deal."

"What time do you want to set the reservations for?"

At The Loft

Mimi paced across the kitchen floor while her husband, Roger, sat at the table and read the latest edtion of The Village Voice.

"What's wrong?" asked Roger.

Mimi sighed, exasperated. "Why do you think something's wrong? There's nothing wrong!"

"You only pace like that when you're worried about something."

Mimi sat down next to Roger. "I just think that… where do you think they're actually going?"

"Who?"

"The kids."

"The Statue of Liberty."

Mimi laughed. "Well, baby, I knew you were dense, but I didn't think you were THAT dense."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you remember being their age? At thirteen or fourteen, would you have wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty?"

"Well…no."

"And didn't Kimmy sound like she was hiding something?"

Roger's eyes opened wide.

"Oh my god, you're right. But where do you think they could have gone?"

Mimi grabbed the phone. "I'm calling Mark on his work cell. We'll ask if the kids are still there with them."


End file.
